[(Continued from p.4)]
Assad is a price we can afford. I believe this is misguided politics at its worst and it is politics doomed to fail because its principles are corrupt. We will be paying for our own destruction. I, for one, would not be willing to sacrifice another drop of innocent blood or another penny from my purse to purchase a false peace with Syria.My brother and my family have already paid the ultimate price in the effort to bring peace to the Middle East. I pray that no other family ever feels the sting of deceit felt when the country you love and are willing to die for betrays your trust and sends your son or brother into harm's way--not because it is the right thing to do, because it is the political thing to do. History has shown us the way--the right thing to do. If we do not follow its lessons, we will be doomed to repeat its failures.
Sincerely,
Deborah D. Peterson
Sister of Cpt. James Chandonnet Knipple, USMC killed in Beirut Lebanon, October 23, 1983.
Helen Freedman, Executive Director Feb.4, 2000
Americans For a Safe Israel
New York, NY
Dear Helen:
As you are aware, we will not be able to be in Washington, D.C. for your press conference; however, we would like to share a few of our thoughts with you.
First, we naturally are opposed to any American troops to be used as Peacekeepers in the Middle East. Our son, Sgt. Jeffrey D. Young was one of the Peacekeepers who was killed in Beirut, Lebanon on October 23, 1983. During the eighteen months our troops were in Lebanon, 268 servicemen died and two more have died in the past five years from injuries that were suffered during the bombing on the Battalion Landing Headquarters. There has never been any justice, to our satisfaction, leveled at the countries that were directly involved in their sacrifice. In September of 1983, the Iranian ambassador in Syria called his foreign minister who gave the order to undertake an extraorrdinary operation against the Marines. That operation was the largest non-nuclear bomb ever detonated and the number of lost lives for one day had not been seen since World War II.
Second, we oppose any funds, especially the astronomical amounts that are being quoted in the news. When was the last time any country gave the United States any monies or aid of any kind, yet our citizens work hard, pay their taxes, only to see it used to help the rest of the world. Just think what that kind of money could do for the original Americans, the American indians who live in poverty, depression and disease.
Third, we are strongly opposed to Syria's occupation in Lebanon and feel they should withdraw their workforce of approximately one million, and return to Syria and let the Lebanese govern their own country. Israel should also pull out of Lebanon and defend their own borders using their own military and not expect the United States to send troops.
The situation in the Middle East has never been stable and the peace talks do not seem to be going very well in an effort to help the situation. We think every nation's "wish list" should be one of peaceful co-existence with their neighbors.
Yours truly,
John F. & Judith C. Young
Syria's Foreign Minister (Israel's partner in "peace" negotiations) openly outlines Syria's newly adopted policy of "stages" in eliminating Israel ("restoring Palestine in its entirety is a long term strategic goal, that cannot be achieved in one stage" says he). Syria thus formally replaces its earlier "destroy Israel in one great battle" program with Arafat's avowed policy of first returning Israel to the 1967 borders before wiping her out altogether. Insanely, Israel cooperates in her own demise, robs itself of all its strategic assets, marching forward, to use the title of a recent movie with "eyes wide shut."
On January 27, 2000, Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq Al-Shara spoke to the annual convention of the Arab Writers Association in Syria. Shara's speech, reprinted below, was published, in full, by the Arab Writers Association's weekly, Al-Usbu' Al-Adabi (Feb. 12)):
Israel is stronger than all the Arab states combined. The US, Israel's strategic ally, nurtures it with all kinds of weaponry: from the rifle, through the missile and the airplane, to the super-computers that cannot [even] be found in Europe. The US also lets Israel participate in its 'Star Wars' [plan]... A few months ago, Germany gave Israel a gift: three submarines of the most advanced type that, after Israel equips them with nuclear warheads, would enable it to threaten all the countries in the region.
Israel's budget is twenty times the size of the Syrian budget. The Syrian yearly armament budget amounts to 7% of the Israeli [armament budget].
For half a century, Israel has claimed that it wants peace and strives for peace, but fails to achieve it because the Arabs are warmongers. Israel managed to deceive world public opinion - especially the Americans...
The question facing all of us today is whether
[(Continued on p.6)]
February 2000 - 5 - Outpost